The Times of India reports that India will be implementing a new Visa-on-arrival system which will be a great asset to tourism.  Although some countries like the USA can visas valid for 10 years once you go through the procedures, others like Australia have visas that expire after 6 months and you have to go through the procedure every time you travel.

“We have decided to extend visa-on-arrival to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months to put the infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist session beginning October,” planning minister Rajiv Shukla said.

The facility will be implemented at 9 airports initially (although only 8 airports are named).  Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum.  I am surprised not to see Bangalore on the list since this is a major airport in India.

Tourists will also have the option of applying for an electronic visa (ETA) which is similar to an ESTA for the USA, ETA for Australia and India’s neighbor Sri Lanka.  For my recent trip, I had to go to the Indian visa processing facility in Brisbane which was a pita given there is very little parking nearby and is very expensive.  By contrast our Sri Lankan visas were done online in a matter of minutes!

I have to admit, ease of obtaining a visa plays a huge part in my decision making as to which country I choose if I am targeting a bird species that is present in more than one country.  All else being equal, I will choose the country I can get a visa on arrival or do an ETA.

This is a great move on behalf of the Indian government and should greatly boost tourism in the country and increase job opportunities for people working in tourism!